Both The Whisky Bar and Carmen's Vinothek are now open for business beside each other, with a private passageway inside that links these sister outlets.
Carmen's deals in wine; no prizes for guessing what The Whisky Bar offers.
The one-page menu here comprises mainly salads, tapas and cheese platters. Here's the Jamon Iberico (cured ham from the black Iberian pig) on bread with diced tomatoes. No complaints; tasted as smooth and intensely savory as expected.
Greek salad. Not quite the recipe that we know and enjoy. It contained the necessary tomatoes, feta cheese, red onions & olives, but the rather uninspiring lettuce seemed to be the dominant force. Could have used some cucumber and bell peppers for added crunch.
Customers can also order selected items from Werner Kuhn's affiliated outlets at Changkat. From El Cerdito, the chorizo cured with red wine and apricots. Meaty but very salty.
Brought over from Piza, the veal osso bucco with lemon risotto. Lots of marrow to enjoy in the bones, but this still fell short of greatness. The veal was a tad too gamy and chewy, while the risotto was dry, stodgy and bland.
Thankfully, we loved the thin-crust pizza, generously topped with smoked salmon, creme fraiche, mascarpone, 20-year-aged balsamico & truffle oil. Perhaps Changkat's best pizza, with a masterfully inventive mix of flavors from top-notch ingredients.
We're not whisky lovers, but we couldn't resist ordering the Suntory Yamazaki and the Suntory Hakushu, both of them 12-year-old single malts.
Hopping a few steps over to Carmen's Vinothek for tasting portions of wine: Pierro Semillion Sauvignon Blanc, Margaret River, Australia, '08 & Dr. Loosen Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett, Germany, '07.
